White has $9 million to take on Perry

Democrat Bill White just put out a news release touting $9 million in the bank account for his challenge to Republican Gov. Rick Perry. We don’t have the data yet, so we aren’t able to tell who the top donors are at present. The White news release:

HOUSTON — At the end of the last filing period on June 30, more than 16,000 supporters had contributed to Bill White’s campaign for governor, propelling White towards November with over $9 million cash on hand.

Grassroots support for White is strong. More than 75 percent of individual contributors gave $100 or less and over 11,700 new contributors joined the team this period.

“Texans from all backgrounds and political viewpoints see Bill White as someone who’s in it for Texas. People in over 200 Texas counties have generously contributed to the campaign, and over 11,700 contributors this period were first-time donors,” said Scott Atlas, Campaign Finance Chair. “There’s a growing sense that Texans are ready for a new governor.”

In the first two fundraising periods after entering the governor’s race, White raised more dollars than Perry. Between late February and the end of June, contributors poured more than $7.4 million into White’s campaign, with more than $16.6 million raised for his campaign for governor since December 4.